REPUBLIC DAY Saluting nation's military might and cultural diversity New Delhi (IANS) : India's latest military hardware combined with vibrant floats showcasing the country's diverse culture provided the pomp and spectacle of the Republic Day parade that was watched by thousands, including Saudi ruler King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, here on Jan. 26. Padma Awards Recipients 9 get Padma Vibhushan: Adoor Gopalakrishnan (art, Kerala) C.R. Krishnaswamy Rao (civil service, Tamil Nadu); Charles Correa (science and engineering, Maharashtra); Mahasveta Devi (literature and education, West Bengal); Nirmala Deshpande (social work, Delhi); Norman E. Borlaug (science & engineering, Mexico); Obaid Siddiqui (science & engineering, Karnataka); Prakash Narain Tandon (medicine, Delhi); Justice V.N. Khare, (public affairs, U.P.) 540 m. youth key to India's success This is the time, we must launch and build-up an intensive and extensive movement of cherishing our value systems in all walks of life. This is particularly important since the nation has to provide leadership to the 540 million ignited minds of the youth who are the most powerful resource for translating our vision of transforming India into a developed nation, well before 2020 in an integrated way. From simple march-past now event of epic proportions New Delhi (IANS) : It began as a simple march-past to mark the emergence of India as a sovereign, secular and democratic republic on Jan. 26, 1950. Today, the annual Republic Day celebrations from Jan. 26-29 have grown into an event of epic proportions that showcases India's military might and its rich cultural diversity. Across the Nation Images Images